


we're gonna show this town how to kiss these stars

by iwantstylinson



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Chronicle (2012), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Blood, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Telekinesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 12:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5539433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwantstylinson/pseuds/iwantstylinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Louis slides his hand across the table, knocking his fork off his plate. But as Harry watches the fork fall to the floor, it freezes mid-air, hanging there completely on its own. Harry furrows his brow, and as soon as he takes his eyes off of it and back up at Louis, he hears the fork hit the floor with a clang.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>“What the fuck was that?”</i>
</p><p> <i>Suddenly, it all comes back to him: Zayn running up to him, following him through the bushes, seeing the giant hole in the ground, meandering through the cave, Louis being thrown backwards through the air…</i></p><p>
  <i>“Holy shit,” Louis murmurs, and Harry can tell from the look on his face that he remembers it all, too.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	we're gonna show this town how to kiss these stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bubblegumclouds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblegumclouds/gifts).



> **TRIGGER WARNING FOR BLOOD, ALCOHOL USE, AND DRUG USE**
> 
> I've always loved this movie, so it was so fun for me to write! Unfortunately I didn't fit the 5SOS characters in as much as I wanted to, but I hope you still enjoy reading it. :-)
> 
> Title from the song "Manhattan" by Kings of Leon

Harry wipes the sweat from his forehead and takes a deep breath in. The sunlight filtering through the window is scorching, and even though the air conditioner is pumping cold air into the classroom, he feels the humidity of the last heat wave of the year sticking to his skin. At the front of the classroom, Mr. Walker drones on about Plato – or maybe it’s Socrates, Harry hasn’t really been listening. All he can think about is what he’s going to do once the clock strikes 3:15…

He quickly snaps his head around and glances at the clock, relieved to see there’s only five minutes left of class; only five minutes until he gets to see Louis.

Harry smiles. _Louis._ It’s been about a month since he moved to Dallas for college, and even though it’s only about an hour and a half drive away, they haven’t seen or spoken to each other very frequently since the end of the summer. When Louis called the night before and asked if Harry would like to spend the weekend with him at school, he couldn’t have been more eager to pack an overnight bag.

It isn’t that he’s become a loner since Louis graduated high school; Niall and Liam are seniors this year as well, and they’ve been friends since they were in elementary school. It’s just that Harry has always felt that Louis understands him. It’s something deeper than he’s ever really been able to explain.

It’s the way that Louis is always ready to go on some adventure, grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him to places he never thought he’d go. Just this past summer, Louis had convinced him to help break into a public pool in the middle of the night, just because Harry admitted in a game of “Never Have I Ever” that he’d never been skinny-dipping, and Louis felt that needed to change. Harry will never forget the mischief glimmering in Louis’ eyes as he stepped out of his boxers and dove headfirst into the cold water, laughing hysterically and demanding he do the same.

That’s how it’s been since they met in Drama class Harry’s freshman year; Louis has always brought out a side of Harry that no one else ever could, and without him Harry feels bored, stuck in the monotony of his comfort zone.

The bell rings suddenly, startling Harry out of his thoughts. 

“Alright class,” Mr. Walker starts as he passes papers around the room. “Your response papers on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave are due next Tuesday.”

Harry quickly shoves his textbook into his backpack, trying to schedule a time in his mind to get his paper done. hurrying out of the classroom when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey!” Liam says, catching up, “Wanna come over tonight? Niall was thinking about bringing over the new Halo and—”

Harry shakes his head, interrupting, “I’m staying with Louis this weekend, remember?”

Liam laughs. “Oh, right. Forgot about your special getaway with your boyfriend.”

“He’s not—” Harry starts, but instead rolls his eyes and turns away. He doesn’t have time for Liam’s teasing. 

He turns into the crowded hallway, pushing impatiently through the throng of students chatting idly by their lockers. He realizes after a few moments that Liam is still following right behind him.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?” Harry asks, exasperated.

Liam sighs. “I just… wanted to tell you to be careful. You know, if you end up at some wild college party or something. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Harry rolls his eyes. “Thanks, Li. But I seriously doubt I’ll be chugging beer out of a keg with frat bros at any point this weekend.”

“Alright,” Liam says, eyebrows furrowed, pulling him into a hug. “If you ever want to be picked up, just call me and I can come get you.”

“God, you’re so dramatic,” Harry says, fighting the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He ends up giving in, squeezing his friend tight before saying their goodbyes.

He practically runs out of the building, flying down the steps and to the parking lot when he sees Louis’ old burgundy hatchback. The door to the car swings open, and Louis is a blur as he jumps out and runs to hug him. “Harry!” He yells, clasping around his shoulders tightly. “How are you?”

Harry smiles, patting him on the back. “I’m alright, it’s so good to see you. I missed you.”

Louis pulls away, a strange look flashing across his face for a moment before melting into a crinkle-eyed smile. “Missed you too, man. It’s weird not having you around all the time.”

Harry can feel his cheeks warm, but his heart sinks a bit. It hadn’t occurred to him that there is a possibility Louis doesn’t feel the same way about him – that just because Louis is Harry’s best friend, doesn’t mean Harry is Louis’ best friend. 

They get in the car and drive off, speeding down the highway toward Louis’ school. They make light conversation, catching each other up on the things they missed during the month they were apart, but Harry’s head is stuck on that look of confusion on Louis’ face. _Is it not normal to miss your best friend this much?_ He wonders. _Is it not normal to want them around all the time?_

“So, what’s the plan?” Harry asks, desperate to stop the negativity swirling in his head.

“Well, I was thinking of showing you around campus for a bit, then we could get dinner at the Caf. And then maybe we could buy some ice cream and watch a movie or something? I know it’s not too exciting, but I haven’t heard of any parties tonight yet –”

“No, that sounds perfect, actually. It’s been a long day anyway.”

Louis looks over at him from the driver’s seat and smiles. “Great, sounds like a plan.”

\--

Six hours later, Harry and Louis are sitting on the bed in his cramped dorm room, the end credits of “The Avengers” rolling up the screen of Louis’ laptop nestled between them.

“Wow, that was actually really good,” Harry says, setting his empty pint of ice cream on the bedside table. “I’m genuinely surprised.”

“ _I’m_ genuinely surprised I haven’t made you watch that until now,” Louis retorts, ejecting the DVD and putting it back in its’ plastic case. “The Avengers series are some of the best superhero movies ever made. It’s un-American to go through your life without seeing them.”

Harry smirks. “Well, thank you for showing me the error in my ways. And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free!” He sings jokingly in an obnoxious Southern twain.

Louis laughs, sitting up and stretching his arms up high and rolling his neck back. “Ugh, I always forget how uncomfortable it is to sit like that for long.” He plops facedown on the bed behind Harry, and Harry quickly moves to lay down too, settling his head next to Louis’ on the pillow.

They lay there silently, side by side on the tiny wooden bed for a while. Harry closes his eyes and his mind goes blank, feeling completely at ease with his best friend breathing quietly next to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wonders. _Is this how you’re supposed to feel when you’re with your best friend?_

He remembers last March when it randomly started snowing outside, and they were both so surprised that they ran out and danced in it. He remembers the pink in Louis’ cheeks as he laughed, the way the light dusting of snow clung to his hair and eyelashes, how his heart leapt to his throat when Louis reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly as they skipped and down the quiet suburban street. 

Louis stirs next to him, turning on his side so that he’s facing Harry, who opens his eyes and stares up at the ceiling. His heartbeat quickens, and he silently prays it’s not loud enough for Louis to hear. He can feel Louis’ eyes on him, and he doesn’t have to look over at him to know they’re the deepest shade of blue, like the cold bottom of a lake in the heat of July. It feels like too much all of a sudden – this overwhelming weight of _something_ that he feels crushing his chest, but he can’t make any sense of it. 

“Harry,” Louis sighs, his voice filled with the most disorienting softness.

Harry furrows his brow as he turns to look at him, but before he can respond, the door swings open.

“Oh, sorry,” The young man in the doorway mumbles awkwardly. “Didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

Louis sits up frantically, averting his eyes from Harry. “No, no. We weren’t—” He cuts himself off, clearing his throat. “Zayn, this is Harry, my friend from high school. Harry, this is my roommate, Zayn.”

Harry sits up and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, holding his hand out to shake Zayn’s. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Zayn says, smirking, a flash of playfulness glinting in his eyes as he shakes Harry’s hand.

“Yeah, you too,” He replies. He can’t help but notice how utterly _beautiful_ Zayn is, with his big doe eyes and scruffy black hair. He also notices the way Louis can’t take his eyes off of him, and feels a flash of jealousy shoot up his spine.

“We just finished watching The Avengers, ‘cause Harry hadn’t seen it before.”

“Oh, no shit?” Zayn asks, surprised. He shrugs the backpack off his shoulders and throws it on his bed with a thump. “Have you seen any of the Marvel movies?”

Harry shakes his head.

“Wow. You should’ve showed them in order, Louis, with the first Iron Man.”

Louis rolls his eyes. “I _wanted_ to, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I think you must have left it at Luke’s last time we were over there.”

“Oh, fuck. You’re right, I totally did. Sorry, bro.”

Harry scowls. If Zayn was someone Louis was spending so much time with, why hadn’t he mentioned him before? What else about his new life was he not telling him about?

“What are you doing tonight?” Zayn asks, sitting on his bed across from them and folding his legs crisscrossed in his lap.

Louis sighs. “Nothing really, probably just hanging out here. What about you?”

“I actually just ran into this kid from my Economics class and he told me about a party tonight at Pike house. It’s supposed to be, like, huge, apparently. I was thinking of inviting Michael and Luke, if you guys wanted to come with.”

Louis looks to Harry questioningly. He’s never been to a party, much less a college frat party, and he doesn’t have a single shred of desire to go to one now. But Louis’ eyes are sparkling with excitement, and Harry knows deep down that he would do anything if it made him light up like that. 

“Sure, yeah, that sounds fun,” He says, trying his hardest to sound enthused.

“Sweet! We can drink the rest of that vodka from last weekend,” Louis says, instantly hopping off the bed and leaping toward the mini-fridge in the corner of the dorm room. 

“I’ll roll us a blunt to take,” Zayn offers, reaching for a bag under his bed.

Harry sighs, laying back on the bed. If this is what college is like, he’s not sure his efforts in high school are worth it.

\--

They’re already drunk by the time they approach the frat house, joking and giggling as they stumble down the sidewalk. Well, everyone else is – Harry only had a few sips from the water bottle filled with vodka before he decided he’d had enough. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and his body jitters uncontrollably with nerves. 

He mentioned earlier that he’d never been to a party before, but Michael notices the shaky breath he lets out as they walk up the front porch steps and stops him.

“So you’ve really never been to a party before, huh? Like, at all?” Michael asks, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“No, I haven’t. I just don’t really hang around people who go to parties, I guess. Is that a big deal?”

Luke shakes his head and puts his arm around him. “No, no, not at all Harry. This might be a little overwhelming, is all. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back.”

Michael laughs. “Plus with those dimples, I’m sure he’ll be chatting up some girl in no time.”

Harry blushes, shaking his head. He glances at Louis a few steps ahead of them and watches as he twists the cap back onto the bottle of vodka and places it in his backpack. Louis catches him staring and smirks coyly. Harry realizes then that he doesn’t want or need anyone else’s attention; that having Louis’ eyes on him would always be enough.

They walk inside the house and Harry is instantly overwhelmed. The huge foyer is crowded wall to wall with people dancing and talking loudly, the walls flashing shades of red and blue from the lights projecting onto them. The chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling is draped with orange and black streamers, an obviously lazy attempt at decorating for Halloween in a few days. Music is blaring from speakers mounted in every room, and in the corner of the front room there’s a DJ shouting in the microphone, demanding that everyone “go fucking crazy!”

The five of them make their way through the crowded foyer, stopping in one of the back rooms where people are gathered around a game of beer pong. It all looks exactly like something straight out of a movie, and Harry almost laughs in disbelief. 

Michael notices him smiling and pokes his dimple. “See? It’s not scary, right?”

Harry shakes his head. “No, not at all.”

Luke gestures toward the beer pong table with his head, quirking his brow. “Have you ever played that before?”

“Nope.”

“Want me to teach you?” He asks, already walking toward the recently vacated position at the end of the table. 

Harry glances over at Louis, who is deep in conversation with Zayn and some other guy. If Louis was going to ignore him all night, he might as well try to make some new friends.

After Luke goes through the basics of beer pong, they find two girls who want to play against them and start a game.

An hour quickly passes, and Harry and Luke lose miserably. Harry laughs, downing the last of the beer left in his can.

“Sorry, Luke. Guess I have to practice more,” He says, pulling him in for a friendly hug.

“Don’t worry about it, Harry. I’m sure Louis will have you come visit again soon, and we can do some practice rounds.”

 _Shit._ “Louis,” He says shortly, pulling away from him, smile falling from his face. “Do you know where he went?”

Luke shrugs. “He might be outside with Zayn somewhere? I’m not sure, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m gonna go look for him.”

They say their goodbyes as Harry quickly walks into the next room, scanning the giant group of people for his best friend. He walks through the entire house, but can’t find him anywhere. 

Feeling defeated, he leaves out the front door and sits on the porch steps, trying to clear his head. He should’ve been paying attention to where Louis went – he doesn’t have anywhere to stay the night if he doesn’t have him. _But also, it’s kind of rude of Louis to disappear like that,_ he realizes. He should’ve known better than to just leave Harry in the middle of a giant frat party.

Just then, Zayn comes barreling out of the bushes into the yard. “Harry! Harry! There you are!” He grabs Harry’s hand, chest rising and falling rapidly as he breathes sharply. “We were wondering where you were.”

Harry ruffles his hair with one hand, sweeping it to the side. “We?”

“Me and Louis. We were wandering around out back, and we found this thing… you have to come see it, Harry. Louis told me to come get you.”

Confused, Harry follows after him. Zayn leads them through bushes and around the back of the house, helping lift him over a fence into a vacant lot. “You know, Louis has told me so much about you, he’s always telling me about all the crazy times you guys have.”

_Funny, he’s never mentioned you._

“What were you guys even doing out here?” He asks, changing the subject.

“We were just out smoking a blunt. But a bunch of people were out here ‘cause we were like, obsessed with the thing.”

“What thing?”

Zayn shakes his head and laughs. “It’s insane, dude. You’ll see.”

They quickly make their way through the brush, not stopping until they hit a clearing and see Louis standing in front of a giant, black hole in the ground.

“Where’d everybody go?” Zayn asks.

“Oh, they left. Do you see this?” Louis asks, looking up to Harry excitedly.

“What is that?” Harry asks, confused.

“I dunno, but come closer,” Louis says, getting down on the ground and laying flat on his stomach. Zayn quickly jumps down and does the same. “Do you hear that?”

Harry lays down next to them hesitantly and listens carefully. There’s a faint, high-pitched buzzing coming from the depths of the hole. 

“What the fuck is that?” He asks as he gets back up, utterly stunned. It doesn’t sound like an animal or anything living; it almost sounds like it’s coming from some kind of a machine.

“I have no fucking clue.”

“How creepy is _that?”_ Zayn asks excitedly.

Louis stands abruptly. “Alright, we’re going inside.”

“Are you kidding me?” Harry asks incredulously. “You’re really about to go down into this pitch-black cave?”

Zayn stands up next to Louis. “I have a flashlight on my phone we can use.”

“Sick, let’s go.”

Harry reaches out to grab him. “Louis, wait-”

He’s too late; Louis jumps down into the hole, disappearing into the blackness.

“Come on!” He calls from inside the cave, and Zayn laughs as he jumps down as well.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Harry asks, panic starting to set in. 

“Harry, come on, it’s fine!” Louis says, and after that it only takes a moment’s hesitation before he jumps down there, too.

When Zayn turns his flashlight on, Harry is surprised to see the cave is much bigger than he thought it would be, and they can see a pathway leading down into complete darkness.

“Damn,” Louis says, “it goes really, really far. Look at the walls – it’s like a straight shot down.”

They continue walking down the damp cave, a nauseating stench becoming stronger and stronger the further they go down.

“Holy shit,” Zayn says, turning a corner. “What the hell is that?”

The high-pitched noise starts up again, this time deafeningly loud. Harry feels his heart pounding and wishes he never came down there. 

“Louis, maybe we should go back now.”

Neither of the boys pays attention to him, instead they continue around the corner toward the noise. Helpless, Harry follows, stopping dead in his tracks when he sees the source of it all.

In the corner of the cave, a giant rock-like mass glows blue, pulsating and emitting the shrill buzz. It doesn’t look like anything Harry has seen before, and a voice inside him keeps saying, _You shouldn’t be here. Leave._

Zayn steps towards it first, reaching out and placing his hand on it carefully. “You guys have to come touch it,” he says, completely entranced.

Louis joins him, staring deeply into the glowing rock and tracing along with his fingers before pressing his palm flat against it.

“Louis!” Harry pleads, but it’s as if no one hears him.

“Dude, look at this,” Zayn says, and Harry looks over at him as the rock changes colors from blue to a deep, burning red.

“No way,” Louis shouts over the whirring, which has become piercingly shrill, “This is sick!”

Harry stares at Louis in bewilderment. _How is he not freaking out right now?_ When he glances back at Zayn, he’s startled to see blood trickling out of his nose and down his chin.

“Zayn, Zayn, your nose!” He shouts, and Zayn quickly wipes the blood away, staring at it on his fingers.

The noise becomes impossibly louder, deafeningly sharp and making Harry scream in agony. Suddenly, Louis flies backward, hitting the back of the cave with painful force. Before Harry can even process what is happening, he turns and sees Zayn’s eyes roll to the back of his head before he falls to the floor.

“Fuck!” is the last thing he says before everything goes black.

\--

Harry opens his eyes slowly, immediately squinting at the bright sunlight pouring in through the window. He groans, shifting slightly, and notices an arm draped around his torso. He looks over to see Louis curled up into him, sleeping quietly. He feels warmth radiating through his body, and he can’t help the smile that spreads over his lips. On the opposite bed, a giant ball of blankets that Harry can only assume is Zayn snores loudly. He sighs, suddenly aware of the painful pounding in his head.

 _What happened last night?_ He remembers walking up the porch steps, playing beer pong with Luke, and then –

His stomach churns, causing him to shoot straight up sharply. He leaps out of bed and runs to the bathroom, certain he’s about to throw up anything still left in his system. 

After a few minutes spent bending over the toilet, though, the nausea passes. He sits down on the cold bathroom floor, resting against the wall as he tries desperately to ignore his piercing headache and piece together how he got back to the dorm last night.

“Harry?” Louis calls quietly, knocking at the door, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Do you want some water?”

“Yes, please.” 

Harry stands and opens the door, taking in Louis’ disheveled smile as he wipes his eyes groggily and hands him a glass of water. “Good morning,” Louis says, his voice coated in amusement.

Harry smacks his lips together as he swallows. “Good morning.”

Across the room, Zayn groans. “What the fuck happened last night?”

“Dunno, but we must’ve been pretty fucking hammered,” Louis answers, shrugging. “I don’t remember a thing.” 

“Me neither,” Harry adds.

“Ugh, well I’m starving. We could probably still make it to late breakfast at the Caf, if we hurry.”

They each throw on some clean clothes and stagger to the Caf in silence. It isn’t until they’re all seated at a table, shoveling food into their mouths that they finally address what’s on all their minds.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this hungover,” Louis says. “Like, I’ve had some rough nights, you know? But I’ve never felt this shitty afterwards.”

“I guess we were all just really fucked up,” Zayn says, but the tone of his voice sounds uncertain.

Harry shakes his head. “But see, I didn’t even drink that much, and I feel just as bad as you two.”

“Yeah, well, you’re probably just a lightweight.”

“I mean, I _guess,_ but it just doesn’t seem possible –”

“So what are you saying, Harry? You think someone drugged us, or something?” Louis snaps, and Harry recoils.

“I… I really don’t know. I just think it’s weird that none of us remember how we got back after the party…”

“He’s right,” Zayn says, “There’s definitely something else. I mean, the last thing I remember, we were headed out for a smoke, and then—”

Louis slides his hand across the table, knocking his fork off his plate. But as Harry watches the fork fall to the floor, it freezes mid-air, hanging there completely on its own. Harry furrows his brow, and as soon as he takes his eyes off of it and back up at Louis, he hears the fork hit the floor with a clang.

“What the fuck was _that?”_

Suddenly, it all comes back to him: Zayn running up to him, following him through the bushes, seeing the giant hole in the ground, meandering through the cave, Louis being thrown backwards through the air…

“Holy shit,” Louis murmurs, and Harry can tell from the look on his face that he remembers it all, too.

\--

A week later, Harry sits cross-legged on the floor of Louis and Zayn’s dorm room. Harry had tried to ignore the fact that he could now move objects with his mind, but Louis called him excitedly that week, breathlessly describing how he had pulled the covers of his bed off of him without the use of his body, and demanded that Harry visit again so they could practice using their new abilities.

“Alright, here we go,” Zayn says as he pours out a bag of Legos in front of them.

“Let’s see what we can do with this,” Harry says, taking a piece and tossing it into the air. 

He focuses his eyes on two bricks, lifting them into the air with his mind. He moves his fingers around, trying to bring them together, but with no success.

“No, Harry, pretend like you’re squeezing them together with your hands,” Louis suggests.

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” After a few more seconds, Harry lets them hit the floor with a sigh. “I give up. You do it, Louis. You’re better at it than I am.”

Louis smiles cheekily. “Am I?”

He leans over the pile of bricks and instantly focuses on a few of them, lifting them up and bringing them together with a motion of his hand. While holding those pieces with his left hand, he brings more together with his right, and joins the two to form a tower.

“Oh, that’s sick!” Zayn exclaims.

Louis laughs as he sets the tower down on the floor using nothing but his mind.

“That was awesome, I’m impressed,” Harry says with a smirk before smacking the tower with his hand and cackling as it splatters into pieces.

“You dick,” Louis laughs, shoving him playfully. 

“Alright let me try,” Zayn says, hunching over the pile and readying his hands. He lifts up a couple pieces and brings them together just like Louis had, then quickly puts together a small space shuttle. Harry and Louis burst into applause, cheering as he makes the shuttle soar around the room. 

Harry can’t help but stare at the way Louis’ nose crinkles cutely as he giggles in delight. He thinks for a moment that this is where he feels the most at home, these happy moments he has with his best friend. Louis glances over to him and catches him staring, but instead of awkwardly avoiding his gaze, he looks over at him playfully through his eyelashes, locking eyes in a way that feels more to Harry like a challenge than a retreat.

The moment ends, and Louis looks back over to Zayn and jumps in surprise. “Z, your nose.”

“Oh, shit.” Zayn touches his fingers to his upper lip, noticing the blood dripping out and lets the shuttle fall to the floor.

“Maybe that’s enough for today,” Harry suggests, and the others agree.

\--

Later that day, they head back to the frat house from the party the Friday before. Harry squints up at it, noticing how different it looks during the day – almost lifeless. They quickly make their way past the bushes and through the thicket until they reach the empty lot. 

“Oh, shit, look,” Zayn says as they approach the site of the cave. 

They’re all disappointed to see the hole that was once the mouth of the cave now completely filled with dirt and rocks. 

“It must have sunk in or something.”

Louis kneels down, placing his hand on top of the mound of dirt. “It’s weird, I can still feel it down there.”

Harry feels it too, the whir of the big glowing rock pulsing through his body like an aftershock. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe we made it out of there.”

Zayn sighs. “Well, that answers that, right?”

Harry scrunches his face in confusion. “What do you mean? We still don’t know what happened to us.”

“Look at it this way – we’re still alive, you know?” Louis says, sounding calm and assuring, like he’s given this a lot of thought. “It could have been aliens, or some fucked up, top secret government experiment, or maybe it could have even been just a weird radioactive rock and we can chalk this all up to radiation poisoning – but no matter what, we’re all alive right now.”

“He’s right,” Zayn agrees, smiling. “In fact, we’re better than alive. We’re fucking superhuman.”

They all laugh, and start heading back to the dorm, but Harry can’t stop the worrying in the pit of his stomach. _They’re right, we should enjoy this,_ He tells himself. _If it was something bad, we wouldn’t be still here right now._

\--

Weeks pass by in a dizzying blur. The three of them advance from moving Lego bricks and tennis balls, to beds and shopping carts. They spend a lot of time roaming around campus, playing various pranks on people – scaring the crap out of a girl in the library as the books fly off the shelves, moving people’s chairs out from under them in the Caf, and even making the gum fly right out of some dude’s mouth – while they laugh about it from afar.

On one chilly November afternoon, they sit in the corner of the Caf and laugh as they telekinetically throw various fruit at the backs of people’s heads. 

Zayn grabs his fork and commands, “Harry, put out your hand.” Harry hesitantly sets his hand on the table in front of Zayn. He lifts the fork in his hand and says, “Okay ready? Three… two…”

“Wait!” Louis interrupts, holding Zayn’s hand back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Zayn smirks. “Just trust me, dude. Trust me.” He steadies his hand again before looking up at Harry reassuringly. “Alright. Three… two…”

He brings his hand down sharply, the fork hitting Harry’s hand with a thud. 

“Shit!” Harry yells, bringing his hand up to his chest in surprise.

Zayn cackles. “Look, Harry. Look at the fork.”

He lifts the fork for them to see, the prongs bent completely over from the impact. Harry gasps, “No fucking way!”

“You see? Not a scratch on you.”

“How the hell did you do that?” Louis asks, perplexed.

“Okay. You just pretend that there’s this barrier over your hand, and then, like, when things are gonna hit you, they can’t hurt you. Because of the barrier, you know?”

Harry shakes his head, stunned. “How did you figure this out?”

Zayn takes a sip of water and shrugs. “I don’t know, really, I just kind of got to thinking. Like, our noses bleed when we use too much strength at one time, right? So I thought – what if it’s like a muscle? Like, we just have to keep practicing, and then we’ll build our strength up. You just can’t do too much at once or else you’ll like, pull the muscle I guess.”

Louis laughs. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s been working though! You can’t deny that it’s been working.”

“He’s right, Lou. We _have_ been getting stronger.”

Louis shrugs. “Yeah, I guess so.”

After dinner, the three of them walk to Louis’ car and hang out for a bit in the parking lot before Louis drives Harry home. The mid-November sun drifts slowly down to the horizon, painting the clouds a brilliant shade of orange. 

“Alright,” Louis says, “Okay, here’s a workout. You see that Volvo over there?”

Harry and Zayn follow his gaze to a white car parked nearby. Louis quirks his brow and gives them a quick glance before he focuses all his energy on the car. It moves slowly across lanes, until he stops it in a space in a completely different row. They cheer for him, jumping excitedly.

“Louis, that was amazing,” Zayn says, smacking him in the arm.

It really was amazing, Harry had to admit. He never considered being able to move objects as heavy as cars before. _How much stronger can we get?_

“Ah, fuck,” Louis huffs, reaching for a tissue out of his coat pocket and wiping the blood spilling out of his nose.

“Look,” Zayn whispers, “Look it’s the lady. It’s her car.”

They watch as the woman wanders uncertainly toward the empty spot where her car used to be. Harry couldn’t help but feel bad for her as confusion spreads across her face.

“She totally thinks someone stole it,” Louis gasps, throwing his head back in a laugh.

Finally, the woman turns around and sees her car. She frantically gets in the driver’s seat, starts the engine, and drives away.

Zayn wipes away the laughter-induced tears falling down his cheek and sighs. “Ah, that was a good one. Well, I should go start my paper. I’ll see you around, Harry. Drive safe.”

“Yeah, see ya.” He replies, pulling Zayn in for a quick hug before getting in the car with Louis.

The car ride back to Waco is quiet. Harry can’t get that woman’s face out of his mind. It just doesn’t feel right to be wreaking havoc on innocent people. Sure, they aren’t hurting anyone, but they’ve gotten into the habit of stirring up trouble all just for some laughs. He feels dirty all of a sudden, and he sulks in the passenger seat as he stares out the window.

“You alright, Harry? You seem upset,” Louis asks, and Harry feels satisfaction bubble in his chest. _There’s my Louis. _This is the Louis he remembers so fondly – the soft, attentive Louis that Harry knows he could always confide in.__

__Harry takes a deep breath in. “I just… I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this anymore. With all the pranks, I mean. It just feels like we’re doing something wrong, you know? Is that just me?”_ _

__Louis sets his elbow on the windowsill of the car and leans his head against his hand. “No, I get what you’re saying. It does seem like it’s getting kind of old now. Like we should be using our powers for better things.”_ _

__“Are you suggesting we become superheroes?” Harry asks, smirking. “D’you think we’d make a good team of Avengers?”_ _

__Louis laughs. “No, you ass. I just think we should own up to it, you know? Like we have _actual,_ supernatural powers. Why should we waste them on pointless pranks?”_ _

__Harry nods. “Yeah, exactly. We should just think more before using them, I guess. And maybe not use them in public so much.”_ _

__“I completely agree.” Louis smiles, giving Harry’s knee a squeeze before turning back to the road stretching out in front of them._ _

__\--_ _

__“Last one there is a bag of shit!” Louis yells, breaking off in a spring towards the elementary school playground ahead of them. Zayn and Harry quickly do the same – Zayn racing up the stairs to the slide and Harry plopping onto the swing next to Louis, who pumps his feet wildly trying to gain height._ _

__Louis had invited Zayn to stay in Waco for the first week of winter break, and so far the three of them have spent every day together. Harry had been a bit nervous about it; he was worried Zayn would be against the rules they decided to make about using their powers, but, to his surprise, Zayn was in full agreement._ _

__“We should be more responsible,” Zayn had said, nodding. “We don’t know how far this could go if we get caught.”_ _

__Harry hadn’t even considered that, really, but it was a good point. _Why else do superheroes always keep their identities secret?_ He thought. _So nobody else can take advantage of them.__ _

__Louis snaps his head over at Harry, and their eyes lock as they swing in time with each other. There’s a glimmer of mischief sparkling in his eyes, and there’s a moment where Harry feels all the air rush out of his body at once._ _

__“Bet you can’t jump as high as me!” Louis teases, and with the next upswing, he lets go of the metal chain and leaps into the air, landing with a thump into the pile of wood chips._ _

__Harry smirks. He pumps his legs back and forth two more times as Louis and Zayn both turn to watch him. Breathing in deeply and closing his eyes, he pushes himself off the seat of the swing and waits to come crashing down._ _

__But he doesn’t._ _

__The air doesn’t rush through his hair, and he doesn’t land clumsily into the woodchips like Louis had._ _

__He opens his eyes and looks down, his two friends staring up at him from beneath his feet. “Holy _fuck,”_ he hears Zayn mutter from below._ _

__“How are you doing that?” Louis yells._ _

__“I don’t know,” Harry says, pushing slightly with his legs and drifting forward. “It just kinda happened, I don’t –”_ _

__“I wanna fucking fly,” Zayn says, climbing the stairs of the slide and preparing to jump off. He springs into the air, but quickly falls, landing on his hands and knees on the ground._ _

__Harry and Louis cackle, gasping for breath as Zayn stands up and brushes himself off. “You think it’s so funny, you try it.”_ _

__Louis stills. Harry watches as he takes a deep breath in and closes his eyes, reaching his arms out on either side of him. After a few moments, his feet lift off the ground, and they all erupt in cheers._ _

__“You did it!” Harry yells, stretching his arm out for Louis to take. “You’re flying, Lou!”_ _

__Louis looks up at him, blue eyes sparkling as he takes his hand. “Holy shit.”_ _

__“Yeah, you guys look real cute together up there,” Zayn says, irritated. “But how the fuck are you able to do it?”_ _

__Harry laughs. “It’s a lot easier than it looks, Zayn, I promise you.”_ _

__“Don’t try to jump as much – think like a Harrier Jet.”_ _

__Zayn rolls his eyes before spreading his feet apart and reaching his hands out like Louis had. In a few moments, he lifts into the air, and he joins them in their huddle ten feet off the ground._ _

__“I’m up! Holy crap, I’m up!”_ _

__They levitate there for a moment, unsure of what to do. “What do you say we see how far we can go?” Louis says, wiggling his eyebrows._ _

__Harry bites his lip “I don’t know. Don’t you think we should practice more first?”_ _

__“This _is_ practicing!” Louis replies. _ _

__He tightens his grip on Harry’s hand and takes Zayn’s in his other before they shoot up thousands of feet into the sky, faster than Harry can even wrap his head around._ _

__“This is _insane!”_ Zayn shouts as they zoom through the mist of a cloud._ _

__“It’s fucking freezing up here!” Louis says, letting go of the two of them and flipping backward through the air._ _

__Harry laughs. “Holy shit, this is incredible.” Below his feet, his entire hometown is sprawled out, and it looks alarmingly small. Harry swallows and it feels like his entire stomach is in his throat, his heart pounding in his chest._ _

__Suddenly, Louis is next to him again, wrapping his arms around his chest. “It’s so weird, seeing it from up here,” He whispers, mouth inches away from Harry’s ear._ _

__Harry nods, certain he wouldn’t be able to speak even if he tried._ _

__“You okay?” Louis asks, running his hand along Harry’s torso._ _

__He takes a deep breath before answering shakily, “I think so.”_ _

__“Good,” Louis says shortly, removing his hands from Harry and drifting away behind him._ _

__The wind is abruptly knocked out of Harry as Louis pushes him with all his force, and he goes flying hundreds of feet through the air, flipping forward several times before regaining his balance._ _

__He looks up at Louis, who is clutching his belly as he laughs hysterically._ _

__“You little shit,” Harry mutters, smirking, before zooming towards him and colliding with him forcefully. They go spinning through a cloud, laughing and wrestling with each other before pulling apart and colliding again. Zayn comes bounding toward them out of nowhere, crashing into them at top speed and breaking them apart, shooting off in different directions._ _

__The game is paused for a moment as they all stop to catch their breaths, giggling helplessly at the absurdity of it all. Harry wipes away a cold tear before it freezes on his cheek when he notices a low humming noise coming from nowhere._ _

__“Do you hear that?” He yells to the others, who are still separated by about a hundred feet._ _

__Suddenly, an airplane breaks through the clouds and flings them all backwards. Harry fights to keep his eyes open as the numbing wind whizzes past, and watches the entire world spin before his eyes as he tumbles downward. He closes his eyes and tries his hardest to steady his breath, reminding himself to stay calm and _focus_. _ _

__He steadies himself, and looks down to see Louis falling rapidly towards the earth. His best friend, his _Louis,_ plunging through the air, flailing his limbs uncontrollably, shouting out what he probably thinks are going to be his last words._ _

__“Louis!” He calls out, zooming down to him. He reaches out, grabs hold of him and pulls him close to his chest. He holds him tightly, repeating “We’re gonna be fine, I promise,” as they descend recklessly toward the acres of farmland below them._ _

__They crash into a giant field, tumbling wordlessly through the grass before sprawling out on their backs and gasping for air. Harry licks his lips and tastes rust, bringing a finger to his nose and wiping the blood away._ _

__Louis sits up abruptly, still breathless as he notices the field surrounding them. “Holy shit, I almost died!” he gasps, reaching up and touching his face in disbelief. “I almost died!”_ _

__He looks over at Harry, who’s still laying wearily on his back. “You _saved_ me, Harry!” Louis hurriedly crawls over to him, flinging one leg over his body and straddling him. “I almost died, and you saved my life!”_ _

__Harry smiles weakly, his lungs still feeling like they’re going to give out. He looks up at Louis hovering above him and sees something in his eyes – something frantic, worried, like his whole world is going to collapse if something doesn’t happen _right then_._ _

__Louis leans down and kisses him roughly, breathing in deeply through his nose as he crashes their lips together once more. Harry sighs, suddenly feeling like there’s _too much_ air filling his chest, like Louis is pouring the life back into him, and a thought crosses his mind that he’d let Louis steal every breath he had if it meant never letting him go. _ _

__Twenty feet away, Zayn crashes into the ground and rolls to a stop. Louis pulls away, straightening up quickly before Zayn could see what they were doing. He pauses for a moment, glancing back down at Harry breathlessly, uncertainty glimmering in his eyes. He leaps off of Harry in a flash, and runs over to Zayn, tackling him and shouting, “We’re alive! What the fuck, Zayn, we’re alive!”_ _

__Harry sits up and folds his knees into his chest, watching the grass blow in the December wind._ _

__\--_ _

__A week later, Harry lies on the floor of Louis’ bedroom, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the ceiling. Zayn sprawls out listlessly on the bed as Louis sits at his computer._ _

__Since the airplane incident, they’ve practiced flying a few more times – decidedly staying closer to the ground. Neither Harry nor Louis have acknowledged their kiss in the slightest; though it’s become all that Harry can think about._ _

__“Zayn,” Louis starts, spinning around in his desk chair. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?”_ _

__Zayn idly tosses a bouncy ball above him, and then freezes it mid-air with his mind. “I dunno, New York I guess.”_ _

__Louis rolls his eyes. “Anywhere in the _entire world,_ and you pick New York? What about Paris, or Amsterdam?”_ _

__“I’ve always wanted to go to Paris,” Harry mumbles, trying not to look directly at Louis._ _

__“Paris it is, then.”_ _

__“What do you mean?” Zayn asks, sitting up._ _

__“Think about it – we can go anywhere now. Fuck saving up money for airfare. We might need a few rest stops along the way, but still. We can book it to wherever we want for however long we want. How cool is that?”_ _

__Zayn smiles. “I never thought about that, that’s dope. We should go to Miami for spring break.”_ _

__“Well, sure,” Louis says, “But I was thinking of going somewhere, like, _right now.”__ _

__“I can’t, I told my mom I’d be back home in San Antonio by tonight.” Zayn pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks the time. “I actually should be heading out in a couple minutes.”_ _

__He stands and quickly packs his small suitcase before saying his goodbyes. “Don’t practice too much while I’m away. I don’t want to come back to both of you being way stronger than me.”_ _

__Louis and Harry laugh as he pulls both of them in for a tight hug._ _

__“Tell your mom I said thanks for letting me stay, Louis,” He calls as he heads down the stairs._ _

__“Will do!” Louis shouts, listening for Zayn to close the door behind him._ _

__Louis turns to face Harry. “Alright, so where do you want to go?”_ _

__It feels like it’s the first time they’ve been alone together in ages, and there’s something heavy in the air, weighing it down. Harry hates it, he wishes they could just talk about it openly, but everything feels so strange. It was different out in that field, with the sky stretching endlessly above them, knowing they could reach up and touch it if they wanted._ _

__Harry smiles. “I think I have an idea.”_ _

__They pull their warm coats on as they rush down the stairs and out to the backyard, grasping hands tightly before shooting up into the air. The wind whizzes past them as they pick up speed, heading North towards Dallas._ _

__The city skyline comes into view, the skyscrapers looking startlingly small. “That one,” Harry says, pointing to the tallest building. They slow down when they reach it, carefully landing on the flat roof._ _

__Louis sits, swinging his legs over the edge and staring out at the city spread around them. “This is incredible,” he says softly, his voice almost a whisper._ _

__Harry perches next to him, sighing. “I know. I always wondered what the city looked like from up here.”_ _

__He furrows his brow pensively. His head swirls with all the things he wants to say. He realizes now that he probably should’ve thought more about this before taking Louis up here – should’ve at least organized some sort of outline so that he could properly express the way he’s been feeling for the past few months._ _

__Louis glances over at him, smirking. “You’re so nervous. It’s not like we’re going to fall to our deaths, Harry, _we can fly,_ remember? Lighten up, will you?”_ _

__Harry shakes his head and takes a deep breath before finally speaking. “Louis, there’s something I’ve really been wanting to talk to you about.”_ _

__All signs of playfulness fall from Louis’ face. “What’s wrong?” He asks, worried._ _

__“No, nothing’s wrong. I just…” Harry sighs, trying to wrap his head around what he’s about to say. “I missed you so much when you first moved away. We spent the entire summer together, you know? And I guess I just kinda started… really caring about you. Like, a lot. And when you moved away, I was so worried I was going to lose you. But then all this happened, and I feel like everything I’ve been feeling has just gotten... stronger. And then last week when I saved you, and you kissed me, I just thought – I don’t know, it probably didn’t mean anything. But I thought maybe you felt the same.”_ _

__Louis breathes out, “Harry–”_ _

__“And like, you’re my best friend in the whole world, and I really don’t mean to ruin that at all. But you’re all I ever think about, Louis. I mean, I can fucking lift cars and fly now, and still, all I ever think about is–”_ _

__Louis leans in, pressing his lips to Harry’s softly. Every muscle in his body relaxes, and a quiet sigh escapes his mouth. Louis smiles as he scoots closer to kiss him again – Harry can tell by the way his lips tighten and stretch into his cheeks. Harry runs his hand along Louis’ arm, tracing it up to his jaw and pulling him closer, kissing him deeper. It feels better than he could have ever imagined, and the overwhelming relief makes him dizzy. Louis rests his hand on Harry’s thigh, pressing his thumb into the seam of his jeans, and the sensation is so startling that Harry inadvertently tightens his jaw, dragging along Louis’ bottom lip with his teeth.  
Louis gasps and pulls away. When Harry opens his eyes, Louis is giggling helplessly. _ _

__Harry straightens. “What? Did I do something… Did you not like–?”_ _

__“How did you not notice?” Louis says, gasping for breath between laughs. “How did you not know I liked you? For so long!” He doubles over, wrapping his arm around his stomach, now cackling hysterically._ _

__Harry smirks, punching him in the arm jokingly. “Hey! It’s not like you noticed how I felt, either!”_ _

__Louis shakes his head. “You’re right, that’s true. I beat myself up for ages about it. I thought for sure you thought of me as like, an older brother or something.” He laughs wildly, laying down on the roof and resting his hands behind his head._ _

__Harry crawls on top of him, resting his head on Louis’ chest as his laughter finally subsides. “So, this isn’t weird, right?”_ _

__Louis brings his right hand to Harry’s head, running his hands through his hair mindlessly. “No. I mean, unless it’s weird for you.”_ _

__“It’s not.”_ _

__“That’s good,” Louis hums. A few moments pass silently, both of their hearts still thrumming in their chests. He clears his throat as he speaks again. “I’ve actually felt this way about you for a while now. Since last spring probably. I never wanted to say anything because I knew I’d be moving away for college, and I figured you probably wouldn’t want to hang out as much.”_ _

__Harry turns his head, looking up Louis. “Why would you think that?”_ _

__Louis shrugs. “I dunno, really. I guess I just figured this would never happen, you know? I just thought I’d have to get over you. But I couldn’t.” He sighs, placing his hand on Harry’s thigh, rubbing back and forth softly. “I missed you too, you know.”_ _

__Harry purrs, running his finger along Louis’ jawline._ _

__Louis’ face breaks into a smile, and he shakes his head as he mutters, “God, Harry. I’ve wanted you so badly for so long.”_ _

__Harry beams at that, leaning up and bringing their lips together again. It’s softer, slower, this time, and it feels like hours go by as they lick into each other’s mouths passionately. Louis brings his hand up and twirls one of Harry’s curls around his finger, pulling away and staring up into Harry’s eyes for a moment as he whispers, “I’ve always wanted this.”_ _

__Harry ducks down, kissing along Louis’ jaw as a way of saying, “So have I.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Love y'all :-)


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